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mrfeenysmustache · 4 years ago

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#5 and SessKag 😬

HELL YEAH SESSKAG. Also hello best friend 🥲 you’ll be seeing this when you wake up so good morning 🥲

This one ended up a wee bit longer than the others lol

“Home stopped being a place when you entered my life”

#5 on the fluff prompt list

She’d met him at a party.

A Christmas party.

He stood stiff and awkward in the corner, a head and shoulders taller than everyone else, his crisp, fitted suit clashing with the silly holiday sweaters the rest of them wore.

“That’s my brother,” Inuyasha, her best friend and brother-in-law, whispered to her as he passed her a cup of punch, “we just reunited and the family aint too happy about it.” and she understood.

She made her way over, determined to bring him into the fold, or at least make him feel more at ease and welcome.

“Hello,” she greeted, his golden eyes slanting her way. “I’m Kagome, Kikyo’s sister. You know, Inuyasha’s wife?”

“Hn.” He responded with a nod in her direction. “Sesshomaru.”

“It’s so nice to meet you! Can I get you a drink?”

She watched his nose twitch discreetly as he scented the drink in her hand, and then his lip curled up just slightly in disgust.

“Oh, not one of these.” She giggled in response, “I know where they keep the key to the liquor cabinet.”

He relaxed just the slightest iota, and she practically beamed.

“Whisky on the rocks.”

“Coming right up!”

He sipped his drink slowly as she filled him in on every name, occupation and marital status.

Aside from Kikyo and Inuyasha, they had Koga, the bachelor bartender, Sango and Miroku, the married couple who owned a sweet shop, and..

“Me, and I’m a nurse.”

“No significant other?”

His voice, deep and rich, made the hair stand up on her arms in a pleasant way, but she resolutely ignored it.

“Nope! It’s just me.”

“Hn.”

He said little else, but she didn’t get the impression that he was annoyed, so she stayed near him as the party progressed.

“Bye everyone!” She called from the door when it was time to go. “It was so good to finally meet you Sesshomaru, I hope you’ll be around more often!”

He gave her a nod and a little smile, and she went home for a peaceful night’s sleep.

——

He was there for their next group dinner. Inuyasha warned them in hushed tones before he arrived that he may be in a foul mood.

“Things with the family have gotten worse. He barely talks so it’s hard to know what’s happened. I know they don’t like that he’s reconciled with me after they tried to completely shut me and my mom out for not being yokai, but I think there’s more he hasn’t told me. Just don’t be surprised if he’s moody this time.”

“As opposed to how warm and conversational he was at the Christmas party?” Koga quipped, laughing with Miroku and igniting Kagome’s fe mper.

“Well I thought he was nice!” she cut in, blushing when several sets of stunned eyes turned on her at once. “He was!”

“Yeah we saw you two getting cozy in the corner all night.” Miroku said, waggling his brow suggestively.

“We weren’t ‘getting cozy’ you insufferable letch. He looked lonely and uncomfortable so I talked to him. That’s all. And he was nice.” She shrugged, and then the conversation died as Sesshomaru himself swept in.

He took the only seat open, the one next to her, and Kagome felt her heart twist as he simply sat and covered his face with his hands, ignoring everyone else as they chatted and cut up.

Enjoying time with her friends felt hollow with such a wounded soul sitting next to her, but she knew so little about Sesshomaru she worried she might cross some unnamed boundary.

She took a large gulp of her drink and laid her hand gently on his shoulder.

“Sesshomaru… are you alright?” She asked quietly, speaking soft enough to avoid getting the attention of her friends but loud enough that he would hear. After a long moment where she was sure he wouldn’t respond, he pulled his hands away from his face and slowly reached into his pocket. He pulled out his cellphone and tapped the screen once, lighting up a photo of a cute, smiling little human girl with melting brown eyes.

She looked between him and the phone screen, unsure what he was trying to communicate, but certain it was connected to the cause of his dark mood.

“This is Rin.” He clarified, voice pitched low and for her ears only.

“She’s adorable.”

“Hn. She is my daughter.” He met her eyes, and the gold of his glowed firm and defensive.

Suddenly, everything made a lot of shocking sense.

“They don’t like that you’ve adopted a human, do they? Your family?”

“No. They do not.”

Pulling her purse off the back of her chair, Kagome retrieved her own phone. She scrolled through her pictures for just a moment, until she found just the one she was looking for: a grinning little Fox boy holding up a scribbly crayon drawing.

She tilted her screen over, and Sesshomaru leaned nearer to see.

“My son.” She said simply, and though his reaction was so subtle no one sitting any farther away from him than her would notice, Kagome thought she’d seen him sag in relief.

“We should get them together for a play date.” She suggested, and they exchanged numbers with plans to do just that.

————-

Rin and Shippo got along swimmingly, and, surprisingly, so did she and Sesshomaru. He’d grown comfortable enough with her that their conversation consisted of more than just her babbling at him and hoping he was listening. They shared their adoption stories, how they’d found their children and came to be their parents, the challenges that came with adopting children outside your species, he opened up about the backlash he’d faced from his family when he first brought Rin home, backlash he’d expected but hoped against hope he was wrong about.

“Once she warmed my heart and showed me the folly of clinging to the prejudices I’d been raised with, I reached out to Inuyasha in hopes of establishing a relationship with my only sibling. I’d never even met him before, as he and his mother were never allowed around the family before father died. Afterward, everyone acted as if neither ever existed. Likewise, Rin will never meet the rest of her relatives.”

Kagome watched the two children chase each other as they squealed with laughter. Uncomplicated fun between a yokai child and a human child. Completely different species, but alike enough to play.

“If she ever needs a grandmother, I’m certain my mama would take her right in. She’s loved getting to spoil Shippo.”

He smiled, small but true, and she went a little starry eyed at the beauty of it.

“Hn. I will keep it in mind.”

————

Play dates evolved into real dates, and though her friends teased them, they took it in stride. Quiet and controlled in public, Sesshomaru was soft and demonstrative with her in private. She’d never felt so secure in a relationship before, and the firm but nurturing hand he had with both children made them all feel safe.

They spent more time all together than apart, and soon life felt empty if they weren’t all together.

Sesshomaru occasionally came over with a dark cloud over his head after a particularly nasty clash with family, but she’d simply run her fingers through his hair until the knots of tension were soothed. He was a strong, yokai influence for Shippo to learn from; she was a tender human mother for Rin to thrive from, and when Sesshomaru asked if they could join their families together permanently, no question in her life had ever had an easier answer.

And no answer had ever had such drastic consequences.

News got out and around fast, and one night, less than a week after their joyous engagement, Sesshomaru and Rin showed up at her door with a suitcase each, and dour faces.

“We need a place to stay…. A place to live.”

“Oh my gods, come in both of you.”

They spoke nothing of it at first.

Kagome kept busy feeding the children, getting them bathed, and tucking them in together to giggle h see their covers before falling asleep.

As soon as their door was firmly shut, she sat at the table across from Sesshomaru and laced her fingers through his.

“I have been disowned and disinherited.”

Unsure what to say, Kagome simply squeezed his hand.

“They tolerated the fact that I’d adopted a human daughter, but they would not stand for me falling into my father’s footsteps and marrying a human woman. My choices were my standing in the family, or you.”

Tears filled her eyes as him being here could only mean one thing: he’d chosen her.

“Oh Sesshomaru. I’m so sorry.”

“As the house I resided in was family property I was no longer allowed to stay, and I was fired from my father’s company and stripped of all my rights to any part of it. I’m afraid I come here with nothing to offer you now.”

She stood and rushed around the table and into his arms, hunkering down into his strength, hopefully lending her own.

“Stop that. I don’t want anything but you and Rin. That’s all I need. I’m just so sorry you had to lose your home because of me.”

He rested his chin atop her head and let her scent calm him.

“My home.” He mused, looking around the tiny apartment he’d hoped to move her out of soon when they were able to merge their lives into one. It would be cramped with all four of them there full time, but it was already chock full of their memories. They would figure it out.

“My home stopped being a place when you entered my life, Kagome.”

She wept and he held her, one of the only treasures he had left in the world, while the other two slept soundly and happily in their bed.

#sesskag #sesskag fic #prompt requests #sesskag fanfic

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nocturne-inuyasha-ff · 5 years ago

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Chapter Fifteen: Torment and Mayhem

Nocturne - Chapter Fifteen: Torment and Mayhem

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Tsering led Sesshomaru along to a room. He followed only because he had been promised to see the woman in good faith. There would be hell to pay had any harm befallen her. Even agreeing to this charade was folly as there was no guarantee Fan would not kill her later. So, he strode silently behind.

He had been led to a room that looked vacant outside of minimal decor and other furnishings. It was evident that the room belonged to Tsering based upon her lingering scent alone. Why he had been brought to this room was unknown to Sesshomaru. He allowed a low growl to rumble deep within his chest to express his dissatisfaction.

"This was not part of our arrangement," he announced, dryly.

Tsering glanced at him from over her shoulder, eyeing him coldly. "You are not the only one who requires a show of good faith." She walked over to a large mirror and looked at the reflection. A smile tugged at her lips while she used the mirror's reflection to assess him.

His eyes narrowed at her. "I am loathed to repeat myself."

She turned gracefully, her headdress tinkling. Reaching up a hand, she pulled it off and loosened her hair so that it fell down her back in shimmering waves of silver. "Then let me occupy your lips, your thoughts…" With a sashay of her hips, she reached him and placed one hand on his chest, and the other she stroked his fur.

Sesshomaru was not inclined to allow this folly, obviously a play to force his hand. He gave Tsering a shove that sent her stumbling backward a few feet. Despite the rejection, she smiled coyly. "Do not deny me, Sesshomaru. I must know that you intend to honor our marriage."

"Should a maiden not remain so for her wedding night?" Sesshomaru asked in an attempt to deter Tsering's advances.

She laughed melodiously. "You jest, Sesshomaru. Do not pretend that those as long-lived as we do not share pleasures with others."

"I prefer to be judicious with my partners," Sesshomaru responded.

"What a choice of words for one who fucks humans," Tsering said with venom. A loathsome grin grew, her words chosen with barbarous care.

He reacted immediately, closing the distance between them in seconds and gripped her by her shoulders. He snarled silently, sneering at her despite her amused expression. "Look around yourself, bitch. Do not attempt to bandy words about when your own situation is just as dire."

Her smile slipped momentarily as she contemplated his words. She slipped her arms under his and wrapped them around his neck, pressing her body against his. "Exactly why I am adamant about seeing this union through."

Tsering was a conniving woman who was acting out of desperation. Her womanly wiles were her only means of getting what she wanted, and over the centuries, she had not likely been denied by any. Sesshomaru could see that her motivations, while different, led to a similar goal.

She stood up on her tiptoes to look at him in the eye. He did not push her away this time even as her lids lowered and her lips came near. It may have been in his best interests to allow a kiss; to go along with her aims and leave Fan's estate unscathed. That would have been the easy path, but an unhonorable one. Sesshomaru turned his head at the last second, and Tsering's lips grazed his cheek.

He had expected her to be angry, but she only chuckled at him. Her eyes flicked up to look behind him for a brief moment before settling back on Sesshomaru. Tsering stepped back and spun away from him. He heard her let out a tiny sigh, but she glanced back over her shoulder with a smile.

"Come then. Your human woman awaits," she said with a shrug. Letting her hair remain down, she readjusted her disheveled robes.

o - o - o - o - o

An hour had passed since Fan had come to taunt her, and Kagome sat on the Western-style chair in apparent melancholy. She figured that something would happen soon, whether she was to be released or killed or whatever that ingrate had in mind. Nothing mattered now to her except that Setsuna, her baby, was safe. It eased her anxiety somewhat to think that she must be safe; otherwise, she would be imprisoned here as well.

A knock on the door brought her from her thoughts, and she bolted upright. There had never been a knock on the door, and Kagome was unsure what to do. Under normal circumstances, she would answer the door and invite the guest in, but her circumstances now were far from ordinary. Hesitantly, she stepped to the door, which remained closed, and stood for a few heartbeats.

The knock sounded again, and Kagome slid the door open. Her jaw dropped at the creature she beheld. What looked to be a large man with the head of a horse stared down at her. His large animal eyes seemingly devoid of human emotion simply gazed at her. Dark hair fell over its forehead and spilled down its back and robust shoulders, which shook out from side to side in an equestrian manner. The creature held a giant pitchfork in its grossly oversized human hands, which it used to tap on the ground in a demanding manner. It stepped aside to her right in a military-like manner, allowing her to exit the room. Apparently, this was Fan's way of summoning her.

When she exited the room, another clacking noise sounded from left. The sound caused her to jump, and she found another similar creature standing there with a large, barbed scythe in hand. This creature had the head of a bull, complete with a large nose ring. The pair of creatures flanked her, and the horse-headed man urged her forward with a point of his murderous pitchfork.

Kagome was lead down the halls, past many rooms. The halls were just as eerily quiet as the room in which she was being held. Their footsteps echoed down the length of the hall, announcing their passing to anyone with ears. Eventually, they reach a large room, ornate with weaponry from all past and current eras and nationalities. It wasn't the weaponry that caught her eye, though.

In the middle of the room, a cutting figure waited, resplendent in his meticulous garb with his long hair flowing down behind his back. He looked every part of the regal yokai he was and an exceptionally beautiful with a matching woman to his side. Sesshomaru watched her arrive with a cold gaze, much different from the amused expression his female companion wore.

Kagome felt her throat grow tight, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep her emotions in check. It was so easy for him to do, and she envied him his ability to appear so cold and feel nothing. What a fool she was to think to feel anything for someone who could so callously set her aside.

She'd never seen the inuyokai woman, not truly. Their first unofficial meeting had been obstructed by her death, revival, and then the bodies of her friends that protected her. Now, seeing the beautiful woman made her feel shameful that he would ever consider putting Tsering aside for her.

Tsering stood beside Sesshomaru, practically hanging off of him with her left arm looped casually over his shoulder and her robes coming undone and her hair loose. Even looking disheveled from whatever they had started in the room hours ago, Tsering was gorgeous. Her flowing silver tresses had a beautiful white sheen to it, and her lips looked plumply pink. Kagome paled in comparison. What could she give? Could she do better than the woman at his side? She was human and would likely die long before the pair were even in their prime.

The horse and ox-man stopped just outside the door of the room, and Kagome was free to go the rest of the way on her own. Holding her head up high, she walked in a few feet to stand before the couple. What was the purpose of parading them before her? Or her them? She did her best to keep her arms pinned to her sides — no point in making a scene. What's done is done, and now she just wanted to get back to Setsuna, the only constant in her life.

Kagome jumped a fraction when she heard Fan's voice from behind her.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said with his ever-present smile.

"How could I refuse such a gracious invitation?" she snapped, boldly. Kagome didn't incline to play whatever game Fan Tsenpo had orchestrated, but she still stepped right into his verbal trap. He stepped up behind her and pointed over her shoulder to the array of decorative weapons mounted on the wall.

"Do you enjoy it? My display?" he asked casually.

Kagome looked around the room, her brows drawn together in perplexion at his random question. "It is not to my tastes," she replied sardonically.

Tsering laughed, a sound equally as beautiful as her countenance. "My brother is something of a collector. He has rooms dedicated to a great many different things. Though why he has chosen to delay things with talk of his crude pieces is beyond me."

Fan grinned, "Tut, tut, sister! There is always a method to my madness!"

Tsering's face fell a little, Kagome noticed, but her smile did not fall entirely. Fan walked around the room in great strides, largely ignoring all of the occupants as he gazed at the walls. He stopped by a bow, similar to the bow Kagome was well acquainted with. Delicately, he picked it up and a single arrow next to it. He examined the two items before bringing them over and presenting them to Kagome.

"How about this one? Care to give it a try?" he asked.

She wasn't sure what to do and looked at him quizzically. His behavior was even more confusing now than she'd previously encountered. "Try it?"

"Yes, this is a similar weapon to what your creed use, though much older. I'm certain it will still work for you," he began.

Still perplexed, she looked over to Sesshomaru, whose visage was still a silent mask. Fan regarded her in amusement. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting a shrine maiden. Although I am perplexed, I've always been told that one had to be...well...a maiden otherwise the spiritual powers would leave. Care to demonstrate?"

"Demonstrate?"

"Yes, it's simple. I merely require a demonstration from you, and I promise on my sister's life that you will be free to go."

Tsering's eyes widened, and her jaw went partially slack, but she held her tongue. Likely trusting her brother would not allow harm to come to her.

That deal sounded loaded heavily, and not in her favor. Still, he wasn't giving her many options, and Sesshomaru was not in a position or had the inclination to have an input. "What are your terms?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, a smart one you are. I should not have expected any less," he laughed. Fan walked towards Sesshomaru and clapped him on the back. Sesshomaru cut a quick glare at the man but said nothing.

"Ox-man, come here!" Fan demanded, using a waving hand.

The ox-man entered wordlessly. He must have heard what had been proposed, and he was either too loyal or too stupid to question his master.

"Show me what you are capable of here on him." Fan pointed to the ox-man and tilted his head.

"No, I will not," Kagome said.

"You will."

"I refuse."

"Do not push me, girl. I have a great amount of time and power in my hands. It would not even be sporting of me to find your whelp child and dispose of it...or add it to my collection of oddities."

Kagome flushed with rage. "You wouldn't." She knew he would. Part of her was unsure of why she would suggest otherwise.

"It is only your fortune that it is not here now to sway you further, but I can promise that I will uphold my word."

Kagome gripped the bow tightly. She'd never had to execute anyone who had not attacked her outright; even then, she was hesitant to kill without it being a last resort. However, a threat against Setsuna was too much of a risk. Especially a threat from Fan.

The ox-man stood quietly several feet in front of her. There wasn't even a chance she could miss at such a short-range. Gritting her teeth, she slowly raised the bow and allowed a trickle of spiritual power to flow into her arrow.

The demon stood still, its face devoid of thought or emotion. Kagome gritted her teeth and inhaled, holding the breath in her chest as she aimed. With an exhale and an expert hand, she released the string, and the arrow flew.

It seemed to fly in slow motion, though only seconds passed. The arrow grew in intensity as it drew closer, the spiritual power building to become an overwhelming burst of light as it reached its target. The arrow hit true in the beast's chest, and the spiritual power consumed him, engulfing him in purification. In a flash, the ox-man was gone, decimated into nothingness. Kagome felt her arm go slack and her face blank. She'd never killed so wantonly before, and despite having a legitimate reason, it still hurt her.

She looked to Fan, who stood with his back resting against a wall near an assortment of swords of varying lengths, widths, and other diameters, and he seemed quite pleased with himself. His arms were folded, and he looked down his straight nose at her, his face unusually unreadable.

"Are you not entertained?" she blurted out callously. Inwardly, she snickered despite herself at her pun that no one in this era would get.

Fan remained relaxed against the wall. "Not quite. It is one thing to demonstrate on a low ranking Niu Tou. I am certain he is pleased to return to Difu along with his counterpart, anyway."

Her face must have belied her confusion and disappointment as he carried on, "With that said, I am impressed, though I would now like to see that power against a more formidable opponent. Perhaps a daiyokai?" he suggested. He brought over to her another arrow, placing it in her hand with care.

"Order them in," Kagome said flatly. It would weigh heavily upon her, she knew.

"No need, he is already here," he responded with his sinister grin and gesturing to the couple on the other side of the room. Tsering had led Sesshomaru by the arm out of harm's way moments before Kagome was to 'demonstrate' her abilities. Now, Tsering went completely slack-jawed.

Kagome, incredulous, gasped, "What?" Her head swiveled to look at Sesshomaru. He looked...bored?! He didn't seem perturbed at all. Perhaps he knew something that Kagome did not. 'How could he do or say nothing?!' she wondered.

Tsering stepped away from Sesshomaru in outrage. "Brother! What ludicrousy is this?"

"I am merely curious," he chuckled.

"Then conduct your experiment on someone else," she responded acidly.

"No, I want to see," Fan said. He made a waiting gesture to Kagome, and the look he gave his sister was sinister, yet admonishing one indeed. One that quieted her and caused her to step back.

Fan waited as Kagome held the bow and arrow in her hands. "My promise to you still stands," he reminded her.

He marked her hesitation, "You hesitate, yet he would not do the same for you. We are not human, but more and above the trivial and feeble emotions you mortals are subjected to. He could care for you no more than a pet, which you practically are in comparison to my sister, a daiyokai."

Kagome glared at Fan and looked at Sesshomaru from the corner of her eyes. He was infuriatingly silent. How could he be so unmoved?! Fan was probably right; even Sesshomaru had said she was just a good time the last time she'd seen him. How could she have such complex, complicated feelings for someone who would not or could not have them in return?

She mentally berated herself for thinking he could love her, which she had allowed herself to believe for just a moment. After he had come back, she thought it was because he felt...something.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to kill him, if even her power could do that. Kagome looked into his golden eyes and then saw something, a trick of the light, she wasn't sure.

It seemed a perfect opportunity as any, and she placed the arrow against the string, taking in a breath and pulling it taunt.

She aimed the arrow at its target and noticed that Tsering had fled to another corner of the room, abandoning her intended to Kagome's spiritual power.

Kagome felt fury well up inside her and channeled that emotion into her arrow. She could feel her righteous anger leave her into the shaft, leaving her steady and calm.

If her first shot had impressed Fan Tsenpo, then this one would blow him away. The arrow already shone with a blinding light and would purify anything within its vicinity. At the last second, she moved her aim and loosed the arrow.

o - o - o - o - o

It was no task to keep his face schooled into a semblance of aloof arrogance. Sesshomaru had long ago mastered the art of a stoic face, and the practice served him well throughout the centuries. Though, he seldom had a reason for his facade to break from his uncaring expression.

The miko had blown into his world and unsettled his spectrum of life; first, by releasing his idiot brother and then by unleashing a pandemonium of events that ultimately led them here.

His skill of maintaining himself and his semblance was being utilized to its greatest potential at the moment. Tsering hung off him like a lamprey sucking at its host like a parasite. Currently, she had laid her head on his shoulder in a pathetic display of affection that he fought the urge to shove off. That would do him no good at the moment.

As Sesshomaru looked around, feigning a bored sense of interest, he found the contents of the room he had been brought to be a little macabre, but he was not surprised given the collector of the items. Fan Tsenpo was an oddity, and Sesshomaru had seen it all. It would seem that a pang of insatiable hunger for power and knowledge did not age well.

Weapons of all kinds were hung upon the walls. Sesshomaru even noticed items of considerable renown from Edo had been enshrined as well. What a waste. Fan may be a warrior, but he was also careless and arrogant, which was showcased throughout the estate.

The man had only just arrived inside the room and had taken a sword from the wall sheathed inside an ornate hilt. Fan pulled the weapon a quarter of the way outside of its hilt to show a beautiful bronze blade. Fan smiled at the sword and looked over at Sesshomaru. "Beautiful, is it not? Yokai-made, though humans pretend that they can craft something so perfect. The blade is older even than I and still brilliant and sharp."

Fan sheathed the blade and placed it back up on its wall mount. "No, blades like that are just not cast any longer."

"I do not think Sesshomaru is interested in your playthings, brother," Tsering said with annoyance. Even as she clung to him, her arms wrapped tight around his own and a smile plastered on her face, she was ready to be done with the charade Fan was putting on.

Fan shrugged and put his arms across his chest. "No matter, our guest is on her way as we speak."

Sesshomaru could hear the steps of two larger-bodied figures and the fainter sound of footsteps that must be the miko. He watched as she stepped hesitantly into the room, her eyes settling upon him but not before narrowing at Tsering's embrace.

Strangely, she did not display surprise at what she saw. Though it must have distracted her, despite the lack of surprise, for she was visibly stricken when Fan came up from behind.

The man taunted her and paraded his boorish collection for his hidden purposes. Fan's intentions, by orchestrating this meeting, were glaringly obvious; but the fool was all over the place, and it was hard to put a thumb on precisely what he planned.

Sesshomaru had asked for proof that the woman was alive and unharmed. He had been given that proof, yet Fan continued to dangle the woman in front of him like some scintillating treat. Rubbing his nose in it seemed more likely. Sesshomaru figured he would have to endure this torment to assure the woman's life.

Fan's little show culminated in a finale where he demanded a demonstration of the woman's powers. Now Fan was showing his hand. He was pushing the miko into place.

She balked at the suggestion, unsurprisingly.

It wasn't until the crazy yokai threatened the child that she broke and gave in, extinguishing the yokai in front of her with a subliminal show of power.

Now, just as Sesshomaru expected, Fan ordered the woman to use her powers upon him. Both Tsering and the woman looked to the sneering Fan incredulously. Tsering even went so far as to question her brother, to no avail.

Again, Fan threatened the life of their mutual child. Even so, the woman looked piteously upon him, at war with herself. She must choose the life of her child or his own.

Fan pushed the woman, suggesting that Sesshomaru would not hesitate to kill her if their situations were reversed. Her eyes began to well up with unshed tears, and she bit her lip.

Sesshomaru felt his brows knit with concern. Not for himself, but for her. He was the reason she was here, being pushed to commit heinous acts that may be nothing for him, but taxed her spirit much. She suffered, though she put on a strong face.

Slowly, the miko raised her weapon and aimed at his chest. It would be a fatal blow, he knew.

He watched her eyes and their gaze locked on one another. Sesshomaru heard her draw in a breath, meaning she was to loose the arrow.

As the miko exhaled, she turned her aim towards Fan in the final second. If Fan had not expected this, he gave no tell. His smile never left his face, even as Tsering gasped.

Much to Sesshomaru's annoyance, Fan had caught the arrow midair. The glowing light of condensed spiritual power seemed minuscule, and he even had the audacity to laugh. But, the light grew larger and larger until Fan's laugh dissipated, and his smile turned into a grimace.

The miko took a step forward and held out a hand where more blinding light shone. Her face was one of concentration and determination.

The spiritual power began to grow and envelope Fan, who still held the arrow aloft in his hand and grunted to be free of purification. The fool had bitten off more than he could chew. The spiritual blast would not kill him, but it would disorient the man at the very least.

Sesshomaru took the opportunity to dislodge himself from Tsering, who stood transfixed to the unfolding events befalling her brother.

Fan roared with anger, and likely pain, before he freed himself from his grip of the arrow. The light fizzled out once it hit the ground, looking harmless and unassuming.

Once the light had dissipated some, Sesshomaru noticed Fan's right half was burned beyond recognition, and his face now bore a gruesome and permanent smirk quite befitting him. His eye shone pale in comparison to the other, which began to glow a dull red.

Sesshomaru stepped in front of the miko and pulled free his sword. "It would seem you placed a wager you could not pay, Fan Tsenpo. Now you shall reap the reward."

Fan did not respond with words but grew in size of monstrous proportions. Fur spread over his body, and his limbs contorted as he grew to take on his true form.

o - o - o - o - o

Kagome watched as Fan continued to grow in size. Were they to die? Cut down by a ferocious daiyokai in its massive true form? A yokai in its TRUE form was immensely more powerful than the one contained in the smaller human-sized vessel.

She'd recalled when Sesshomaru had taken his form, but in comparison, Fan was much, much more significant. The room they were in was large, but already Fan had burst through the ceiling, allowing him to grow larger still. Every part of the building shook and crumbled down.

Kagome raised her hands in a vain attempt to stop from being pummeled with shards of wood and bits of mortar and stone. She squeezed her eyes shut in reflex, but when nothing pelted her, she peeked to see Sesshomaru in front of her. He blocked all falling debris quickly, waiting solemnly with his blade drawn. Would he transform, too?

Fan snarled and growled in his monstrous form, making incoherent moves and swatting at where he must have thought they would be. He continued to attack anything and everything in his path, destroying much of his palace.

The screams and shouts of the unseen castle residents could be heard from varying parts of the palace grounds, and mortals and yokai alike fled from the destruction.

Kagome looked at the large daiyokai with confusion. Why was he not attacking them?

"He has been blinded," Sesshomaru provided an answer to her unspoken question. He looked over his shoulder at her. "I shall end this," he told her and quickly launched up toward the rampaging Fan.

In a brilliant moment, Sesshomaru took Bakusaiga and easily cut the beast down. It was not a fair fight. Fan lashed out wildly, relying on his remaining senses to aid him but to no avail. It was child's play for Sesshomaru to avoid the large paws and the huge gnashing teeth.

Fan fell to the ground in slow motion, landing with a resonant thud. His enormous chest heaved up and down until the movements became shallow and eventually stopped.

It seemed all too anticlimactic as Sesshomaru turned his back on his opponent and walked calmly back towards her. He sheathed his sword and held out a hand to her.

Kagome gave a start, "Wait, where's Tsering?!" She had failed to notice the woman's absence and immediately grew concerned.

Sesshomaru did not seem to share her worry. "She fled after you fired upon her brother," he answered.

"Oh. Should we be worried?" Kagome asked, looking around. The last thing she needed was to be attacked by Sesshomaru's former fiancee.

"No," he responded and extended his hand again to her, urging her to take it. "Let us be away from here."

Kagome could not agree more and took his hand. He pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her waist before they rose into the air, up and away from the destruction below.

o - o - o - o - o

It had taken days to arrive back to Kagome's village. Sesshomaru had delivered her wordlessly upon the doorstep of her home outside the town.

The journey home had been immensely awkward for her. It would have likely taken only half the time for Sesshomaru to travel on his own, but he was laden down with a mortal woman who needed to eat, sleep, and do other human things.

While the entire trip was not completely silent, the words they exchanged held no value. Sesshomaru had offered no excuses nor explanations to any of the events transpired and Kagome was not inclined to ask, still sulking from the experience.

Kagome knew she was being stubborn, but she assured herself that she was not wrong for feeling the way she did. It wasn't her fault that Sesshomaru could be likened to a cantankerous old man. She glowered at him more often than not during their pauses on the journey. She was confident that he noticed, but he made no mention of her irritable mood.

Upon arriving home, Kagome rushed inside only to find the house empty. She was unsure why she expected anyone to be here, but she deflated inside nonetheless. It was like all of her expectations were always set to high, and she could not place a finger on what she should settle for. It was as if she continuously set her sights too high.

Kagome scoffed when it dawned on her that Sesshomaru must have known that no one was here. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and spun around. Kagome stood inside, looking around for a moment, and Sesshomaru stepped in.

"There is no one here," he stated.

"I've gathered," she said testily. "Why would you bring me here, then?"

#Chapter Fifteen #Nocturne #SessKag #Sesshome #Anticlimatic #To Be Continued #But wait #There's more

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redroseinsanity · 6 years ago

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Ōmagatoki - Day 4

@daisugaweek2019 | Day 4 - Pets/Flowers

Chapters: 4/7

Summary: In the Kamakura period, a fallen samurai undertakes a journey to pray for the mountain god’s mercy as a famine threatens his people, but instead meets an enchanting tree spirit. Daichi knows that the kodama is possibly the most dangerous being he has ever encountered, and yet, he falls.

—

“What if I told you that there’s a price to pay for saving your people?”

“What kind of price?”

“A sacrifice.”

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven

When Daichi shook off a far too vivid dream that was pervaded by Suga’s laughter and smelled like cedar, he half expected to be alone. But there, in the soft glow of dawn, was Suga sitting at the edge of the mountain, unmoving save for the way his hair and clothes were tugged and teased by the wind.

He didn’t seem surprised when Daichi noiselessly picked over and sat next to him, bold enough to arrange himself so that their shoulders brushed.

They remained there until the sun was halfway through its journey to the highest point in the sky, basking in the comfortable silence and simply enjoying each other’s company. It had been a long time since Daichi was given the opportunity to just be, free from obligations and expectations. With Suga, Daichi was not a samurai or ‘the third son’, he was not responsible for a village’s worth of people nor the wellbeing of his family. It was folly or hopeful thinking, but it felt as though he had shed all that in layers of sweat as he climbed up the mountain.

Shrouded by the wisps of low clouds, enveloped by the most gorgeous nature he had ever seen, with Suga by his side, he was simply Daichi. He wasn’t entirely sure who that was, but he found that he quite liked who he was in the company of the kodama.

The late morning had them seeking shade from the leafy branches of the massive tree that Suga had created, while Suga taught Daichi how to weave long stemmed buds into circlets and other adornments.

“Oh, look,” Suga had said upon noticing the abundance of blossoms littered around them, “Gifts!”

Daichi had tried to respond but any words had failed when he caught sight of a tree resplendent with flowers in full bloom, petals drifting in the wind and a carpet of pinks and greens.

He had stepped out of the night into a dream held in the palm of Suga’s hand, and he discovered, with regret and alarm, that he did not want to wake.

Keep reading on AO3 or after the cut

Having Suga’s breath brush his cheek as he explained and a cool pair of hands to guide him was distracting to say the least and Daichi fought to focus on what Suga was teaching him. He would follow Suga’s lips as he spoke only to realise he had completely missed the steps; lose himself in the way Suga’s fingers moved, nimble and sure; begin to understand only to forget it all the moment Suga’s laugh pealed.

Thankfully he was able to cotton on relatively quickly, mimicking Suga’s motions and relying on the keywords that filtered through the disjointed clutter in his mind. Before long, he was producing dainty chains studded with little blossoms and he proudly displayed them to Suga, earning an approving nod.

“Now try braiding them into hair,” Suga instructed and Daichi nodded his assent without considering the implications of that statement.

He stilled when he felt something warm drop into his lap. Looking down, he froze completely as Suga smiled up at him from where he was making himself comfortable on Daichi’s thigh. His carefree expression indicated that he was clearly unaware of the way Daichi’s heart rate had sped up to a thunderous pace the moment Suga’s head had landed on the rough cloth of Daichi’s lap.

With hands that trembled faintly, he picked up a section of woven flowers and, forcing his hands to steady, he collected a section of pale grey hair and began to braid them all together.

Suga’s hair was smooth but after encountering several tangles, Daichi abandoned the initial task at hand to gingerly comb through the knots with his calloused fingers. As Daichi gently worked out the tangles, Suga let out a soft sigh, his eyes drifting shut as a peaceful smile found its way onto his lips.

“You’re better at this than I thought you would be,” His voice, languid and intimate, nearly had Daichi dropping the flowers that he had been preparing to weave in.

“I have a little sister,” Daichi told him, amazed that he managed to keep his tone even, “She likes braiding ribbons into her hair. When I left for the war, I gave her a boxful of ribbons and told her I would use them all with her when I came back."

A tiny chuckle escaped Suga as he pried his eyes open to fix Daichi with a look.

"And did you?"

"I did,” Daichi assured him, it had been the one thing that had kept him grounded as he grappled with the knowledge that he’d never fight as a samurai again.

“Is this thing,” Suga visibly struggled to locate the right words, “Is it common? Where you come from?”

“Is what common?” Daichi repeated, mildly baffled.

“Keeping promises; making vows and seeing them through,” Suga’s face was open and inquisitive, framed by strewn locks of argon that overflowed off Daichi’s lap and furled around flower stems.

Daichi considered the question, fingers deftly finishing this braid and already reaching for the next hank of hair.

“It depends,” he conceded at last, “They’re meant to be kept but not all people make them with the intention of doing so and some are unable to even if they wish to do so.”

“And you?” Daichi glanced away from the plait entwined with blush shaded blossoms rapidly forming to see Suga’s intent gaze on him, “What about you?”

“I…” Daichi met hazel eyes steadily, “I do not make vows lightly, nor do I make ones I do not think I can keep.”

This time, he was able to see Suga’s expression morph into a pensive one, watched hazel eyes grow darker and his mouth tighten just an iota at the corners.

Over the last couple of days, he’d caught a similar countenance on Suga’s face, one that seemed as though he were weighing something, judging and deciding, thoughtful and concerned all at once.

Almost immediately, he would spring back into the perpetual exuberance that he seemed to embody when with Daichi.

Without warning, Suga rose up, supporting himself with one hand, and twisted to face Daichi. At this point, he was close enough that each breath had his chest grazing Daichi’s bicep and when Daichi turned to lock eyes with him, he was thoroughly unprepared for the depths of those hazel eyes.

When Daichi had first arrived on the mountain, he had believed that the glorious greenery was possibly the most magnificent thing he had ever seen. But drowning in an ocean of piercing emerald with edges of brown, Daichi swiftly retracted that thought.

This irrationally gorgeous being was far more enthralling than all of the forests in the land put together and despite Daichi’s good sense telling him to get a hold of himself, he allowed his eyes to flicker to lips that were tantalisingly close.

“May I?” He asked quietly.

Suga’s inhale was matched by a half raise of an eyebrow as he registered surprise before a full transition to a smouldering intensity that drew Daichi in as much as it overwhelmed him.

Anchoring his fingers in the grass, afraid to touch and take more than he was allowed, Daichi closed the distance at a deliberate pace, waiting for Suga to pull away or stop him.

He paused again when their noses brushed and for an instant that was reminiscent to the first gasp a swimmer takes when emerging from the water, he rested his forehead against Suga’s.

Every emotion that had arisen since he met Suga seemed to be a typhoon in his chest, in his lungs, in his stomach - everything was amok. He had never known emotion to be like this, had never felt so entirely at the mercy of his own heart. His entire life had been set to the cadence of society’s expectations, of what he should and should not do, of what he thought was best. But this? This went against everything he knew, everything his mind could possibly reason. And yet, he had never been so alive, he had never wanted anything more and nothing had ever prepared him for the way this capricious, incomprehensible, exquisite being made him feel.

He nearly lost his balance when Suga jerked sharply away and in horrified confusion, Daichi thought he had overstepped until he saw the way Suga’s pupils had constricted and his eyes darted, tense and searching.

Instantly, Daichi was on his guard and the katana that had been lying beside him appeared in his grip, held in a defensive position. Even while in the thick of the forest when every snap and rustle could have been a threat, Suga had always remained relaxed.

Seeing that Suga was visibly distressed, Daichi braced himself for the worst even while he watched Suga’s features grow even more ethereal with breathless wonder. Someone tutted behind them and both spun to face a tall creature with a razor sharp smile.

“Koushi, Koushi, Koushi,” The newcomer had a voice that was smooth and clear, not unlike the water that came from freshly thawed mountain ice, “So this is where you’ve been hiding. Here I was worried that something had gone wrong but instead you’ve been frolicking with humans.”

The speaker was unspeakably beautiful in a flawless, intimidating sort of way. Bewitching tawny eyes flashed gold and luscious waves of chestnut framed a perfect face. Where Suga’s beauty was akin to a warm summer breeze, mesmerising and reassuring in turn, the stranger’s beauty was comparable to a free fall off a mountain ridge, terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

A weaker man’s knees may have buckled but Daichi merely shifted so that he was directly in the other yokai’s line of sight, effectively blocking Suga.

“Do you know what I can do to you, human?” The stranger drawled.

“I do,” Daichi replied levelly as he calmly assumed a loose fighting stance. Amber eyes widened fractionally before they snapped to Suga with a measure of shock and glee.

“You told him?"

Daichi assumed that Suga must have made some gesture of affirmation because he was fixed with an appraising glare.

"You are aware that either of us could extinguish you without so much batting an eye and you still choose to place yourself between us? I cannot tell if you are foolish or brave, samurai.”

“No one is extinguishing anyone, Tooru,” Suga stepped out beside Daichi with that unyielding statement. In the span of that sentence, Suga had metamorphosed into a version of himself that Daichi hardly recognised. Blazing eyes were emphasised by dark vines that ran across pale skin, crisscrossing down his neck and he gave off sheer power in waves.

As if in response, Tooru’s smile curled into something frighteningly saccharine as the trees behind him erupted into unmatched growth, materialising into a wooden wall behind him.

Almost instantaneously, a series of sturdy vines burst from the ground at Daichi’s feet to weave themselves into a thick barrier that cut Tooru out of view.

“You know that nothing good comes from fratenizing,” he heard Tooru seethe.

“And what exactly do you call your little trips out to meet that mizuchi of yours?” Suga rebutted in a pointed tone, although his voice remained airy, as though they were merely discussing the weather.

“Do not,” Tooru’s voice swiftly turned frigid, “That’s different and you know it.”

“Hajime, was it?” Suga dropped the flippant tone in favour of one that was forbidding, a barely restrained force veiled by the gentle delivery, “I’ll leave you to your business if you leave me to mine.”

By the time Daichi had navigated out of the natural shield that Suga had enacted, both of them were glowering at each other, although Tooru’s massive trees were rapidly returning to regular form and Suga’s vines began to retreat into the ground.

“Nothing comes without a price,” Tooru warned. Daichi started to say that he had been cautioned on this aspect on prior occasions, but stopped himself when he realised that Tooru had been directing it at Suga instead.

“I am aware,” Suga threw out in an off-handed manner, “Are you?”

To his ultimate surprise, Tooru huffed, promptly becoming more of an exasperated child that reminded Daichi of his younger sister than a powerful being of myth.

“Koushi, you know I’m only looking out for you,” Tooru pouted, “Be careful and don’t come crying to me if things don’t go the way you hope.” He stalked off without waiting for a response, sprays of buds blooming in his wake and leaving a trail of colourful petals.

“I could say the same,” Suga called after the receding back, mouth tugging at the corners as he faced Daichi.

“Are you alright?”

“I think I ought to be asking you instead,” Daichi rubbed the back of his neck as he put his katana away, “Friend of yours?”

Suga sighed, smile turning wry as he nodded.

“He means well, he’s just not so good at expressing it,” The curve of Suga’s lips gave way to a full grin.

“He called you something,” Daichi replayed the exchange in his head, “Is Suga not your name?”

Suga gave Daichi an odd look, mouth opening and closing a few times.

“You could have been killed just then and that’s your most pressing concern?”

“Well, I didn’t die,” Daichi pinned Suga with an expression so genuine that it knocked the wind out of the kodama’s lungs, “Besides, I think I have excellent priorities.”

“There are many names for me, mostly assigned by humans,” Suga explained, “Suga, Sugawara, yokai.” He shot Daichi a teasing smirk.

“It all depends on who they perceive me to me, what they need from me, and what they would like to see or believe,” Suga concluded, fingers fiddling with a long and flat stalk of grass.

“What about when there’s no one around? No one to demand your existence? Who are you?” Daichi pressed.

“Just Koushi,” A slow, lambent smile spread across Suga’s face. Daichi made the mistake of looking directly into Suga’s eyes just then, and felt his breath catch as he found flecks of brown amidst green, “Then I’m just me.”

“Do only kodama get to call you that? Is it a code?” The words spilled from Daichi’s lips before he could stop himself.

The pause in which Suga spent considering this was suspended such that Daichi was able to chastise himself several times over within it.

“Koushi is my true name,” Suga said slowly, eyes drifting up to meet Daichi’s, “Tooru uses it because we are essentially kin and in this world, that is who we can trust instinctively and implicitly, who can completely understand each other and who will always be a source of solace.”

As Daichi mulled over this, Suga straightened and cast a glance out across the treetops.

“You should begin your journey, for the sun will set in due time and if you leave any later, you may be caught midway when night falls,” He instructed Daichi. Part of the samurai wanted to damn it all, to stay just another night, another day. But the thought of his family and his people anchored him back to reality and without a word, he began packing the small sack he had carried up with him.

The air was still by the time Daichi took his first steps down, away from Suga, and the leaves remained motionless and drooping, as though mirroring the weight in Daichi’s heart.

He made it several paces down before he succumbed to the urge to turn and there Suga was, rooted and smiling gently. Much like the first time they had met, rays brushed the kodama’s face, tracing the delicate features that Daichi had involuntarily committed to heart and, at the same time, transforming him in a beacon, blazing and blinding all at once.

“Will I see you again?” Daichi let his voice traverse the distance his body could not.

“If you promise to,” Suga’s voice was an aural assurance, a lifeline that Daichi reached for and held on to.

“Then I do,” Daichi vowed, voice strong and determination even more so.

Even with the dazzling afternoon sun illuminating Suga’s face, Daichi could see the radiant grin brighten his face in response.

Swinging back around and setting off with purpose, Daichi thought that he could hear another kind of answer that was breathed through the forest, that echoed in the streams and was sung by the birds.

So be it.

Mizuchi - A dragon type of deity associated with the water, something like a water spirit.

If anything looks inaccurate, please forgive me or correct me (preferably both)!

#daisuga #sawamura daichi #sugawara koushi #haikyuu!!#daisugaweek2019 #redwrites #haikyuufanfics

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rayraywrites · 6 years ago

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Characters: Kuramochi Youichi, Miyuki Kazuya

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Major Character is already deceased/Major Character death

PLEASE NOTE: No one dies during the fic, and it’s not as angsty as you think!

AU: Spirit AU

Total Word Count: 1628

AO3

Summary: “Only in the darkness can you see the stars” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Staring up at the sky, he could count the stars that painted their way like dots on a canvas. They danced across the dark blue as bright white specks, their light shining brightly amidst the darkness. He was laying on the ground, his jacket rolled up to fit under his head. He could feel twigs and leaves underneath his back, but ignored the discomfort to keep staring upwards. He knew that he would regret not laying on something more cushioned the next day, baseball practice was still not forgiving even ten years into the career. But with a view that he so rarely got to see; Tokyo’s skies were as boring and drab as ever, he couldn’t resist the temptation.

So he continued to lay there, mind wandering away from the pressing issues that took up most of his life. Instead, he allowed himself an indulgence – a deep breath and shoulders relaxing. Even doing a job he loved, a career he wouldn’t trade for the world, he still felt stress building up in his shoulders. But being out here, where no one could or would reach him, where the only thing he had to be concerned about was the animals that would come closer to him to steal the yakitori he’d grilled earlier. He was free, and able to relax.

His one side was feeling chilled, the temperature of the night dropping low, while his other side was toasty and warm. The remaining embers of the fire he’d lit earlier still providing him with some much needed warmth. He could feel his eyes getting heavy, nearly succumbing to the temptation of sleep. But just as his eyes finally slide close, he heard a snap, followed by the familiar crackle of a fire being started. He would have ignored it, assuming that some of the wood had simply shifted. But then his arm started heating up, even more than it had, which was confusing as the fire had originally been dying down.

With a struggle, he managed to force himself up into a seated position, rubbing the sleep quickly out of his eyes. To his surprise, the once-dying fire had restarted as if it had been fed once more. And it was more active than it had been before, for what was once a toasty orange hue, was now reaching an impressive blue tinge. Somehow the fire had come alive, and he wasn’t sure what was going on. Slowly, he backed away from the small fire for it had begun to steadily grow in height and ferocity. By the time it reached his waist, he was a couple meters back but was still feeling the heat of the flames against his face.

As expected, smoke was rising from the tips of the flames, however to his shock, it began pooling around the flames, coalescing into a form – a human figure. He took a few steps closer, flinching slightly as the fire wavered and pulsed, and he almost froze and backed away. But then a ghost-like hand beckoned him closer. As if in a trance, he traipsed closer and closer, till he was only a meter away from the fire, and only a breadths distance from the smoky form.

He squinted at the person, struggling to understand why the hand had looked as familiar as it had, or why the glasses that also seemed to materialize glinted recognizable manner. It was only when his eyes landed on a wispy smile, lips spreading into a cocky grin, that he realized who he was looking at.

Miyuki Kazuya.

Ex-Catcher of the Yomiuri Giants.

Seidou Alumni.

Dead for over a year due to a freak accident.

He blinked, a nervous laugh leaving his mouth as he stared blankly at the supposedly dead catcher. His breath got caught in his throat when he realized the meaning of Miyuki’s presence. He had never thought he would have been considered worthy. A small blush spread across his face as he stared at Miyuki, who was staring at his hands in wonderment. The almost amazed look on Miyuki’s face had him chortling loudly.

“Kyahaha. It’s like you haven’t seen your hands before or something” He chuckled at the disgruntled look on Miyuki’s face, before sobering as he tried to figure out the best way to broach the question about Miyuki’s presence. He was floundering his way through an attempt at a question, so it must have become apparent on his face, as Miyuki start talking for the first time.

His voice sounded the same as he had on the interviews from four years ago. The last time the catcher had stepped foot on a professional field to play. If Youichi allowed himself the chance to close his eyes, he could still hear the grainy quality of that first interview, of Miyuki talking to a sports reporter after Seidou had won at Koshien for the first time in over ten years.

He had been only twelve years old then, just a fan of high school baseball but not at the same level just yet. He had wanted to play against Miyuki immediately, wanting to try and defeat a battery with Miyuki at the helm. Or, Youichi wanted to play on the same team, where his placement between second and third base would allow him to watch Miyuki’s plays easily, and experience baseball at that level. In short, he had really admired the older catcher. But with the way professional baseball worked, he never got the chance – Miyuki retired the same year he had first joined. And then four years later, he had died.

Snapping back to the present, he felt a shudder go up his spine at the sarcastic grin on Miyuki’s face – one very familiar to him from watching so many of the Giants’ games. Slowly blinking, he hesitantly gestured for Miyuki to repeat himself, as he assumed that there was something he had missed.

“Haha, cat got your tongue Mr. Shortstop of the Yakult Swallows?” Miyuki winked at him, grinning brightly as the blush on his cheeks expanded to his entire face. He scowled heavily, crossing his arms across his chest as he replied.

“Sorry for not reacting perfectly to seeing a smoke person right in front of me!” His scowl deepened, and with it, his eyebrows furrowed even more as he kept speaking. “It’s not every day that this happens.” Gently uncrossing his arms, he allowed them to rest against his side as he struggled to get his main question out. Finally, with an excessive amount of pauses and throat-clearing, he managed to ask.

“But...Miyuki? Miyuki-san?” He waited momentarily as the catcher simply shook his head at the second name before continuing. “Okay, Miyuki....why are you here?

Of course, Miyuki had never given anyone a straight answer – even when speaking to reporters, his replies were always carefully twisted to confuse everyone. So he wasn’t even surprised when rather than answering his question, Miyuki raised a smoky hand up towards the sky.

“You know, I spent all my life in Tokyo. I was born there, and I eventually died there. But I never got to see a sky like this in all the forty-three years I was alive. I’m glad I get to see it with you Kuramochi.” Miyuki took his eyes off the sky for the barest moment to turn and look down at him, which made the smoke of his hair loosely shift, as if mimicking the windswept hair the catcher had been famous for. But then his eyes were back on the sky.

Youichi sat down on the ground again, resting his weight on his hands behind him as he tilted his head to look up once again. “You know Miyuki, I almost became a catcher, or at least I tried to. I watched your first Koshien game on TV. But I guess I was better suited for shortstop.” He laughed to himself, missing the almost soft look Miyuki shot at him as he stared up at the sky.

The pair spent the rest of the night chatting, never addressing directly why Miyuki had come and why he had chosen to appear to Kuramochi. Instead, they discussed the one thing that tied them together irrevocably: baseball. Old games were discussed – ripping apart the players who made follies that shouldn’t have been forgiven. The ideal teams they would have wanted to play with – neither mentioned the desire for being on each other’s team.

As the night wore on, he could feel the exhaustion seeping into his bones. Slowly but surely, his words began slurring as he fought the call of morpheus, desperate to keep speaking to someone he greatly admired. But eventually, he lost the battle and began falling asleep. The last thing he remembered before sleeping was a smell of smoke near his face as Miyuki’s smoky hand attempted to brush the hair from his forehead. If he had been less tired, his face would have turned bright red once again.

But all he felt was a bubbling of warmth in his chest. A small smile grew on his face, even as he dozed off.

When awoke the next morning, he was lying down beside the remains of a long-cold fire, his jacket still rolled up under his head, his back sore from the uncomfortable ground, and a pain behind his eyes from a feeling of a lack of sleep.

He also smelt smoke.

An enenra is a japanese yokai that is made up of smoke and darkness. It appears in flames, and is said to only be seen by the pure of heart. They take on a human figure or shape. A rare type is one of a human who passed away, only to return as one of these spirits.

#daiya no ace #ace of diamond #kuramochi youichi #miyuki kazuya #kuramiyu #major character death #major character is already deceased #spirit au #stars and skies #ray ray writes #happy birthday kuramochi!!#happy birthday kuramochi 2019 #hbd mochi 2019

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